living leadership program - quick guide to requesting letters of recommendation

8/8/2019 Living Leadership Program - Quick Guide to Requesting Letters of Recommendation

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5 Steps to Requesting Letters of Recommendation

Most college applications, scholarships, and graduate programs request two or three recommendation

letters from people who know you inside and outside the classroom. During your time at College ofDuPage, it is your responsibility to lay the necessary groundwork needed so you have individuals who

may write these letters on your behalf.

Step 1: Preparation

Before approaching anyone to ask them to write a letter of recommendation, prepare your materials.

Sometimes colleges will ask for the recommendation to be mailed in and accompanied by a form. Make

copies of the form, make copies of your resume, prepare envelopes by pre-addressing them and adhere

postage in advance. Some colleges ask that letters be uploaded. Regardless of paper or online submission

requirements, note the due dates and plan to request the letters at least one month in advance. It takes

time and care to write a good letter and it is more than likely that your professor will have many requests

for recommendation letters so you may have to get in line. Never request a letter fewer than two weeks

before the deadline. Last minute requests lead to last minute recommendations and the selection

committee at your potential college will know a last minute recommendation when they see one.

Step 2: Selecting Letter-WritersRead the application carefully. Colleges will sometimes require the letter to be from a professor who canspeak to your academic abilities or from an individual who can speak to your involvement. If not

specified, be sure to select at least one professor who specializes in the field you are majoring in who canspeak to your ability to contribute to this field. Also look to your club and organization advisors who can

not only speak to your involvement but also to your leadership abilities.

Consider the following questions when selecting who to ask:

y Does this professor know my name?y Have I ever spoken to this professor outside of class?y Did this professor give me a grade of 'B' or higher in the course?y Have I taken more than one course with this professor?

Choose a professor who can write a letter that includes specifics about your personal characteristics or

accomplishments rather than "glittering generalities." The more you can answer "yes" to the questions

above, the greater the likelihood you're making a wise choice.

Step 3: Making the Request

Requesting a letter of recommendation is best done in person during your professors office hours.

Schedule a short meeting and bring all your materials with you. If the college you are applying to requires

a form to accompany the recommendation, fill your professors information out in advance. Your goal

should be to make the process as easy as possible for your professor, especially if you are asking them to

write more than one letter.

During the meeting, give the professor as much information about you as possible. Provide some or all of

the following:

y Information about your experiences with the letter-writer (e.g., courses taken, class project topics,etc.)

y Your resume or curriculum vitaey Your involvement at C.O.D. in clubs, organizations, honor societies and programsy Awards that you have wony Relevant work experience or internships


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y Service activities such as Service Learning volunteer worky Information about the college and program to which you're applyingy Why you want to attend the college and enroll in the programy Copies of admissions essaysy Anything that makes you uniquey Anything you want included in the letter

If you are unable to make the request in person, you may consider e-mailing the request. If you plan to e-

mail a request follow the guideline for writing an e-mail request at the end of this document.

Step 4: Follow upBefore the deadline, take responsibility for checking with the scholarship program, graduate school, or

prospective employer to verify that the recommendation was received. If not, send a brief, polite e-mail to

the professor and offer to pay for overnight delivery for a mailed recommendation. If the submission wasrequired online, check with your professor that they received an e-mail from the college acknowledging

receipt. Sometimes the response e-mails will end up in a junk folder so beware.

Step 5: Thank You

Always say thank you. Send a hand-written thank you note via U.S. mail, not via e-mail. It's not only politething to do, but you never know when it will pay benefits down the road. You may need another letter at

another time, or if you're in a similar field, they may be able to assist you at some other time. If the letter

does the trick and you are admitted or hired, call the professor to share the good news!

Quick Tips

y Some professors will take offense to being asked for a letter of recommendation via e-mail.Visiting the professor in office hours, scheduling an appointment, or making a phone call shows

that you are willing to give up your time and energy.

y Some applications ask if you would like to retain your rights to read the recommendations.ALWAYS waive your right to read the letter, and DO NOT ask to read a copy of the letter before it issent. It is not appropriate and waiving the right gives you more credibility with the selection

committee.

y If the professor provides a clue that their recommendation won't be as favorable as you might like,thank them for their consideration and tell them that you have located another letter-writer.

y Remember that they are not obligated to write recommendations. Your professors have generallyspent decades working very hard to build their reputation.Whenever they write a

recommendation, they are putting that reputation on the line. In general, they are only going to doso for students whom they really believe in.

y Never list people "who can recommend you positively" without prior agreement with them nomatter how familiar you are with them.


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How to Request a Letter of Recommendation by E-mail

If you cannot schedule an appointment with your letter-writer in person during their office hours, requesting a

letter via e-mail is an option. You must still plan on making the request at least one month in advance.

Put "Recommendation for [your name]?"as the subject line.

Address the letter properly. If you were on a first name basis (meaning they specifically asked you to call

them by their first name and you did so constantly) address it by their first name. Otherwise use theirappropriate title.

Start the first paragraph by stating what you want. "I am writing to ask if you would be willing to

write a letter of recommendation for me." In the next few sentences, lay out the facts:

y Your name, year in school, and majory Which course or courses you took with this professor, when, and what grade you earnedy Why you need a recommendation [that is, what you are applying for]y When the recommendation letter is due

Outline your relationship with the professor in the following paragraph and point out why you haveasked him or her specifically. Tell a little about yourself and why you are interested in the college,

scholarship, graduate program, or job for which you need the recommendation.

y "I chose to apply to this college because I was extremely excited about their tribal artifactsdepartment and the opportunity to study under Dr. Jones."

y Does this professor have any special connection you are aware of to this company or place ofemployment? Or if it's a school, is s/he an alumnus? If so, include it.

y If your experience with this professor had any influence on your choice, say so.Use the third paragraph as an opportunity to hint at what you'd like the professor to say about you.

You'll want to include any information about yourself which they may not be aware of. Attach yourresume and any other helpful documents including the application essays.

Give them the details. Tell them where the letter needs to go and when you need it so they know the

time frame.

Close with information about how you will follow-up. "I'll drop off the form and a stamped, addressed

envelope in your faculty mailbox this week. I'll also send you an email reminder a week before the

recommendation is due."

Thank them, whether or not they write the letter. "Thank you in advance for your time, and

consideration. I also wanted to extend an additional thank you for the time I spent under yourinstruction. I really enjoyed your course, and I can't express how much I've taken away from Archeology

101." If they were truly that special teacher, you can be more effusive in your praise. "I know I'll take thethings I've learned in that course, and apply them in my life's work. Your mentoring really had a positive

impact in my life, and I can never thank you enough."

Follow through as promised by delivering necessary materials and sending a reminder. Follow up

the e-mail with a phone call if you haven't heard anything in a week, two at the most. If you need to call,

don't assume anything. First, see if they've even seen your e-mail. If not, be prepared to do your request

verbally.

living leadership program - quick guide to requesting letters of recommendation

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